One of Britain’s busiest airports closed last night because of the coronavirus pandemic while passengers at other sites expressed alarm at the lack of health checks.

London City, which handled 5.1 million travellers last year, closed its runway to all commercial and private flights for the “safety and wellbeing” of staff and passengers. It is likely to remain shut until at least the end of next month.

It is the biggest UK airport to have closed, following the shutdowns of Teesside and Carlisle. Industry leaders have said that others are likely to follow as passenger numbers continue to drop.

Britain’s skies cleared have cleared of aircraft. Yesterday, right, compared with February 25

London City, the 12th-busiest airport in Britain, could be used by the military in the coming weeks because it is close to the Excel Centre, which